MILWAUKEE — The World Series excitement is building in downtown Milwaukee, where Brewers fans gathered outside the Pfister Hotel to send a message to the Crew: the city is behind them.
Fans left words of encouragement on a giant baseball outside the hotel as players from the Tampa Bay Rays also loaded onto coach buses ahead of a team workout at American Family Field.
TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins spoke with Brewers fans about the excitement downtown. Watch here:
For some fans, simply seeing the buses and the activity surrounding the World Series made the moment feel real.
“This is pretty cool to have the buses right here,” said Lucia Balestrieri, who works downtown. “I didn’t expect this.”
For longtime Brewers fans, the anticipation goes much deeper.
Michael Heinze was just 3 years old when Milwaukee last reached the World Series in 1982.
“For a couple days I thought it was like a dream, but now that it’s getting close, it’s like it’s for real,” Heinze said.
Dawn Herzog-Kraus is going to Game 1, a moment she has waited decades to experience.
“I literally wrote on there, ‘I’ve waited a lifetime for this,’” she said after adding her message to the giant baseball.
Her connection to the Brewers goes back to childhood.
“I used to go to games with my dad at County Stadium,” Herzog-Kraus said. “I watch every game. I go to some games, but if I’m not able to go, I’m watching on TV.”
While she is rooting for the Brew Crew, she is also excited to see Freddy Peralta take the mound on baseball’s biggest stage.
“I can’t wait to see Freddy Peralta because he’s our guy,” she said. “He deserves to be in this too, and it’s just super exciting.”
But for the fans gathering downtown, the excitement goes beyond baseball.
With Milwaukee in the national spotlight, Balestrieri said the energy surrounding the city is hard to miss.
“I think Milwaukee has done such a great job bringing the hype,” she said. “There are flags everywhere, and the huge baseballs, and all the support is very palpable.”
Herzog-Kraus said she is proud of the way the team is representing the city.
“This team, let me tell you, they are something special,” she said.
Then the emotion of the moment began to set in.
“I don’t mean to get teary,” Herzog-Kraus said, “but I’m so glad that I get to experience this finally because it’s been a long time.”
For Brewers fans who have waited years for another shot at a championship, Game 1 brings an overwhelming sense of joy, pride, and, finally, the reality that the Fall Classic has arrived in Brew City.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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